When the curtain rises on Ballerina, it’s all posture and promise—until the tutus turn tactical.
A Slow Burn in Pointe Shoes
Okay, elephant in the room:
Will John Wick fans be satisfied?
On the whole? Probably. But they might get a bit restless to start.
At its best, Ballerina seems hellbent on outdoing Wick’s absurdist excess that deservedly turned that franchise legendary—and in its most bonkers moments, it absolutely does.
Even the most jaded genre diehards will find themselves fighting back Cheshire-Cat grins, especially once the film finally casts aside its training wheels. (Admittedly, some of the wildest bits were spoiled up front in the barrage of trailers, but they still manage to land.)
The setup, though? Despite a nasty little opener, it’s a bit of a slog.
Leaning on a narrative that feels an awful lot like La Femme Nikita-lite—only now with Gabriel Byrne switching sides from grizzled mentor (in the American remake) to deliciously sinister villain here—Ballerina trades the smooth stylings of Nina Simone for the timeless elegance of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. And Ana de Armas handily steps into the spotlight as a promising new action hero-in-the-making.
But the first act stays frustratingly grounded. Most of it unfolds inside Angelica Huston’s assassin-ballet academy, where early fight scenes feel serviceable in scope but oddly workmanlike—lightly imitative of original Wick helmer Chad Stahelski’s style without innovating much on their own. There’s flair to be sure, but little finesse.
Eve doesn’t break a sweat—she incinerates the entire vibe.
Then Comes the Car Crash
Literally.
A wild burst of kinetic energy hits like a piano dropped from five stories. Suddenly, the tone shifts completely. The kid gloves are off. And just like that, we’re asking: If this is what you’re capable of, why did we have to wait 45 minutes?
The answer may lie in the film’s beleaguered production history. Originally directed by—and still credited to—Len Wiseman (the Underworld series), Ballerina was initially slated for release last summer. But after considerable reshoots overseen by a returning Stahelski, the film was pushed back a full year. The shift in style and pacing between the two directors’ work is palpable—even if not always gracefully integrated—making the seams easy to spot.
In some ways, the disjointedness feels fitting. This is a world built on myth and reinvention—and a film discovering its own identity in real time. If we’re being generous, the bumpy first act might reflect a character (and a new franchise) finding its footing. Wiseman’s been at this game for two decades, but here, both he and his star feel like they’re stretching into unfamiliar territory. And inevitably, there are stumbles.
By the second act, though, we’ve hit a proper stride. The production design tightens from derivative to distinctive. The action begins to snap. And Ballerina shifts from moody origin story to full-bore revenge flick.
Training complete, Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro (yes, that Eve—this is not a film afraid of biblical metaphor) ditches her Slavic found-family obligations in favor of a personal vendetta—not for a sweet, innocent puppy, but rather a smokin’ hot daddy.
Her mission threatens to upend the delicate détente of the international assassin underworld, and just when the stakes couldn’t get any higher—enter, stage right: John Wick.
He’s no longer the star—and that’s okay. But when the movie needed a little help, even in thankfully sparing doses, he proves he’s still the guy you call.
Revenge, Rewired
Yes, Keanu is back. And no, this isn’t just a blink-and-miss-him cameo.
The timeline of Ballerina interlocks with Parabellum, Wick’s third outing, and borrows that entry’s globe-trotting instability. Fitting, since Parabellum’s Moroccan detour remains the weakest link in the Wick chain. This excursion from NYC to Czechia doesn’t always fare better—until the final act goes full-on opera.
And what an act it is.
A slowly wound top finally lets loose, spinning into a lengthy pirouette of pyrotechnics, grenade-lobbing, and—most inventively—wielding a pair of laced-together ice skates as nun-chucks.
It’s gleeful, gory, and often hilarious. The set pieces don’t just nod to genre—they plié across a blood-soaked stage from Chanbara swordplay to spaghetti Western showdowns, with a score that grinds each reference into atmospheric pulp.
Yes, some of it could’ve used a more diligent editor’s scalpel. But once you’re knee-deep into the lengthy final act, you’re probably too entertained to care.
Glitz meets grit. Eve’s revenge tour trades subtlety for sequins—and connects on both counts.
Fight Like a Girl (and Mean It)
Ana de Armas proves a worthy successor to Wick—stylistically distinct, physically committed, and blessedly not afraid to lean into the gender-flip. Refreshingly, Wick isn’t here to steal her thunder—she handles that herself.
Eve is no grim reaper in disguise. She’s a woman wielding grief as a weapon and dancing circles around anyone who dares underestimate her.
The end-credits theme tells you exactly what she’s about: “Fight Like a Girl.” And this time, that’s neither insult nor threat. It’s a promise.
Ballerina’s bloodied, ribbon-tied satin slippers may not stick every landing. But once you watch her take flight, you won’t want to stop her.
After the rage, the reckoning. A brief pause between carnage and clarity.
Final Curtsy:
+ 3 points for that mid-fight nod to the Three Stooges inside the Prague Continental. Much of this film plays like Moe with a silencer and a grenade belt.
- 2 points for flamethrower overkill. A scorched-earth set piece that’s thrilling… until it isn’t. A couple fewer minutes and we’d be calling it iconic.
+ 2 points for henchwoman Catalina Sandino Moreno, a dead ringer for young Sarah Paulson—like she wandered in from the adjacent set of a Ryan Murphy limited series.
+ 5 points for best improvised prop weaponization since Pencil-fu™. Those ice skates deserve their own IMDb page. And probably a TSA ban.
Would’ve landed more assuredly with a 10-15 minute trim, but Ballerina is still deservedly primed for sequel treatment.
Streaming Status: Lionsgate holds the distribution rights, and while they’ve sold most of their post-theatrical windows to Amazon (and Starz domestically), an exact streaming date for Ballerina has yet to be announced. Given recent patterns, Prime Video is the likeliest first stop. Cinema DEFCON score assigned once the date drops.
🎬 [PLAYBACK: TRAILER]
Check out the original theatrical trailer if you’re okay with the reveal of some of the signature action surprises.
